Career Tributes: 115th Annual Hunger Games
by Lucy King
Summary: Crimson and Cain are the tributes from District 2 for the 115th annual Hunger games. This is their story. Note: The stories both in the games and pre games will be in a random order. So I'm sorry if it becomes confusing, but you'll just have to go with the momentum of things : Thank you for reading! :D Please review! 3
1. Chapter 1: Cornucopia

CAREER TRIBUTES

I stepped into the tube, and felt the door close automatically behind me. I glanced back desperately at Perseus. He nodded to me and smiled. It had no effect. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body, making me feel sick.

_Ten Seconds. _

I swallowed and clenched my fists, trying to remember the training. _You'll be fine,_ I promised myself, _you have the others. You have the others. You have the others. _I repeated it to myself, over and over, making it my own personal mantra. But I knew that even though I may have had alliances, but I had no idea what terrain I would be thrown into. It could be a barren wasteland, or a scorching desert. It could even be a sea. I remember there was an arena like that once. In the 75th quarter quell. When the Capitol fell. At least for then anyway. But the capitol is back now. And it's more ruthless after its defeat. And so the games continue. I remember my grandfather used to say:

_There is only one thing more dangerous than a tyrant. And that is a tyrant that has tasted power. _

And to this day, I don't think truer words have ever been spoken.

And now my platform is rising. I stare straight ahead, remembering the pact. I must head for the others. I must head for the cornucopia.

The midday sun hits me as my plate rises from the ground. I take in my surroundings. And I realise that I am completely caught off guard.

I am surrounded by houses. We are stood in a town square. It's absolutely silent. The total lack of movement, apart from the other tributes, should scare me, but what terrifies me most of all, is that I cannot see the Cornucopia. I scan my surroundings desperately, taking care not to step off my platform. The other twenty five platforms have been laid out around the square, equal distances from one another. It's deathly quiet. And then, thank the lord, I spot the Cornucopia. It sits atop a tall building, on a flat roof. There is only one way up. And that is to go inside.

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. LET THE 115__TH__ HUNGER GAMES BEGIN! _

And I'm off running. The other members of our alliance are following me. I jump over fences and they follow, copying my exact movements. I see another tribute coming up beside me, and as I have no weapon, I simply trip him up; which leaves him sprawling on the ground, until he is killed by another tribute. I think they might have used a brick. The door of the building is getting closer and it is only till I am close up, that I realise it has been padlocked. I spin around.

"It's locked!" I shout to the others. They take in my panicked expression. And then it kicks in: the survival instinct. We turn, and Electra and Zeki (from three) run around the back searching for a window, or a door, or some means of getting up. Some of the other tributes are approaching, but they were not nearly as fast as us. This is now our territory. And anyone who comes near… well, there isn't exactly a delicate way of putting it is there? The girl with the blood soaked brick is approaching. This worries me little. A three in training. I doubt she can even throw straight. I prepare anyway, she hurls the brick and it smashes into the wall behind me, about a foot away from my head. I smirk, but she carries on running. She pummels into me but her feeble punches do nothing, and now I am on top of her and my hands are around her neck. She doesn't struggle for much longer. Cain, the boy from my district grabs a small twelve year old boy and lifts him up by the neck. I think the boy is from four. I reach out and tug on Cain's arm. He sees my face, and then lets the boy go. He collapses to the ground. I squat next to him.

"Hello. I'm Crimson. This is Cain. Wanna join the alliance?" I say casually, but he doesn't miss the hidden threat behind my words. He doesn't miss the edge to my voice that tells him he has no choice; if he wants to live. He nods hastily.

"Good." Cain said menacingly. "And if we even so much as _suspect _that you'll turn on us? We kill you. Easy as." And he's not joking. He could've snapped that kids neck off. He _would've_ if I hadn't stopped him. I don't even know why I stopped him. That kid is going to die anyway. He looked up at me. He had very deep blue eyes.

"I'm Jonah." He said. Was it my imagination or did he smile a little at me? This surprised me. I hadn't exactly come across as friendly. I looked up just in time. A girl with dark brown hair and a malicious expression was charging straight at me. I grabbed her neck as she ran and twisted. There was a loud snap, and then she went limp. I dumped the body on the ground. Jonah stared. I nudged him.

"Cain will do that to you if you betray us." I warned. He nodded again.

"Crimson! Cain! Ashken! Vlad!" Electra called. They'd found an entrance. We ran around the back, I beckoned for Jonah to follow. Ashken raised her eyebrow at me.

"He might come in handy." I explained. But, I don't know if it was that, or the fact that he was only twelve, that made me save him. Around the back we notice that they haven't found a way in; they've found a way _up_. There's a long ivy creeper running up the side of the building. Ashken from one steps forwards.

"My turn." She murmurs and grabs the long vines. It's amazing watching Ashken climb. I've seen her before, in training, but when it's put into practise, it's really something. She effortlessly climbs up, reaching and jumping and flipping. She's at the top in no time. She beckons to us, but we don't move. Those vines look awfully thin. Jonah could probably manage it, but I'd much rather he went up last. Myself, Vlad and Cain… we're not fat, but… we're heavy. I've been training since a very young age and I'm muscular. Not in an obvious way, but I'm about ten stone. And I don't think that those vines are capable of that. Ashken is fourteen years old and she's light. She has ash blond hair, which I guess is where she gets her name from, and she's very pretty. It's a pity she's in the games. Although, she did volunteer. And there was her ten in training. Something tells me not to underestimate her. Vlad gave the vine Ash had scrambled up an experimental tug. It came loose. I exhaled in frustration.

"Is there any climbing rope up there, Ash?" Electra called out. Ashken's head disappeared round the side of the building. She came back a few seconds later grinning widely.

"There's LOADS up there!" She yelled. "I've got a rope!" And she tossed the end down to us. Zeki deftly caught the rope. It was a thick climbing rope.

"I'll go first." Cain said, grabbing on. "Think you can hold on Ash?" He called. Ashken gripped the rope tightly.

"Course I can." She said, determined. He began to climb. It looked like slow work and Ash looked like he was too much to lift up, but she kept holding on. He reached the top, and then I made the difficult climb up. This time Cain was holding the rope, which was probably a good thing, because Ash looked like she'd had it. I helped Cain pull up the others, apart from Jonah, who scrambled up a vine, and we stared at the golden cornucopia in front of us. There were bounties of weapons and sacks of food. I stared. And then we all ran over. I grabbed a sack, which was full of razor sharp knives. I smiled to myself. Cain had found a sword and was busy slashing the chimney of the building. Ashken was being more sensible and looking for sleeping provisions, such as tents, or sleeping bags. Zeki and Electra were sorting through the traps. Jonah had found a net and trident. There was a bow and two sheaths of arrows, but none of us knew how to shoot so we left them, but only after Cain had snapped them. If we can't use them, then no one else can.

"Should we sleep up here?" Zeki asked. "We have a vantage point above everyone else. We're on a roof, so we can see any action from above." He had a point, so we all nodded. I cross to the edge of the building, and peek over the edge. There are two tributes down there. They're from 13.

Once the Capitol rose from the ashes once again, they kept district 13 alive as an example. Then they held the bloodiest games in history. The 76th games… No one wants to remember. The Capitol actually held four remembrance years. And then wiped the slate clean at the 80th games.

"Hey! 13!" I shout to them. They look up, terrified. "Have a present, courtesy of district two!" And I hurl a red brick at the girls head. She screams and doesn't duck in time. The brick smashes into her skull. The boy screams and runs. Probably better for him. I turn around and walk back to the others.

"So, what do we think about this arena?" Vlad asks us, grinning.

"I don't like it." Ashken answers. I nod.

"Why not? There's all that shelter. All those houses!" Cain exclaims.

"It's too obvious. Like the cornucopia. It draws you in, and then you die. The games are designed to rob you of your basic rights and needs. Water, food, warmth and shelter. So why have they given us shelter? It has to be a trap." I explain. Electra nods.

After the rule of the districts and rebels, which lasted a good 90 years, the Capitol rose again and district 3 became a career district too. They don't train as much as 1, 2 and 4, but they're one of the strongest districts. 7 and 11 train as well. Not enough to make the career pack though. We left out the girl from four this time. She didn't score highly in training, she's 12 and she's dumb. Unless it's all an act, she's not going to win.

"Find anything interesting?" I ask, nodding to the pile of supplies. It could keep us fed for weeks. Ashken is frowning and holding up a metal square. No. It's a screen.

"Pass it here." Requests Zeki, opening his palm. Ashken hands it to him. Zeki examines it. Of course. He must have some idea about what it does, being from District Three and all. He taps it a few times and it lights up. He yells with triumph and stands up, excitedly.

"What is it Zeki? Vlad asks. Zeki is grinning manically. There is a smile playing on Electra's lips. It's infuriating.

"Zeki. Tell us." Cain demands, his hand tightening around his swords handle. Zeki looks up at him.

"It's a tracking device." He laughs.


	2. Chapter 2: Reaping

CAREER TRIBUTES

The bell toll of the justice building is what wakes me. Seven clear rings. I sit up sharply, glancing across at my younger sister, Scarlett. She's fast asleep. Or at least pretending. I know she's secretly scared for me. And why shouldn't she be?

It's reaping day.

I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. I know what I'll be doing later. I'll be volunteering. I'll be saying goodbye. And I'll be going off to the games. Standing up, I cross over to the small cupboard in the corner which houses our meagre supply of clothing. I pull out a knee length, flowery, red dress and lay it out on my bed. Five minutes later, I'm fully dressed and waking Scarlett. She's only fourteen. There's an unspoken rule in District Two. You don't volunteer until you're eighteen. Of course people do, but they aren't treated very well if they don't make the cut. This rule is to improve the odds of the tributes selected becoming victors.

That means, this year; I'm volunteering. And there's a pretty good chance I'll get in. Each year, in District Two's training academy, there are fights for tribute. And they aren't just tiffs; these are fights to the death in extreme cases. The teachers don't do anything to stop us. They encourage it, if anything. I've won a lot of mine. There isn't a way around it. And so I'll hopefully be there, stood proudly on the stage, as Silver Marrie reads my name to the cheering crowds of district Two.

Scarlett shakes me off when I try to wake her up.

"Scarlett. You have to get up. It's reaping day today." I say, softy. Scarlett stops wriggling away from my waking touch. She sits up and stares at me, with wide, afraid eyes. I smile weakly at her.

"Come on."

Breakfast is small, as always. District Two may be the Capitol's favourite, but I live on the poorer side, and let me tell you; at times it's no better than district Twelve. I have two brothers, both younger than me. Rouge is only eleven and Flint is sixteen. My father comes in and smiles at us. It's the best he can do because, if things work out, I won't be joining them for dinner. My mother isn't coming down for breakfast. This doesn't exactly surprise me, but it does succeed in annoying me. My mother is ill. Has been for as long as I can remember. The District doctor told us there was nothing he could do for her, with his small supply of medicines. She's wasting away. Slowly but surely. Her mind isn't what it used to be and she's dying. But would it kill her to come down and see her children for what may be the last time? I scold myself for thinking this. It could kill her. It could kill her quite easily.

The justice building bell tolls again. It's half eight. Time for the reaping.

In Panem, the reapings are spread out throughout the morning and early afternoon, so a viewer in the Capitol could easily watch them live, one after the other. It doesn't take very long. Just a half hour for each district and then back to normality. For most people. The tributes will never experience normality ever again.

I get up and smile reassuringly round at my family. My father goes up to get my mother while I help Rouge find his shoes, which have disappeared to god knows where. Dad calls down the stairs for us to go on, and that he'd meet us after the reaping. So I lead our little procession down to the square in the very centre of District Two. It's cold, as always and my shoes crunch as they fall on the fresh coat of frost that has settled since last night. The shadow of the Nut is still looming over the city, like a great giant, reminding us forever of our place. Rouge goes to wait with some of his friends by the parents and relatives, whilst Flint, Scarlett and I line up for the blood sample. The line moves quickly and before I know it, I'm flinching as the skin is broken on my finger. The male peacekeeper scans it and waves me onwards.

I join the group of eighteen year olds giving some of them friendly smiles, others warning glares. This is my day. And a lot of them know it.

"Hey Crimson." Ginger grins from my right. I smile at her. Ginger. She's one of my best friends. She's also one of the most recognised here too, for her stunning good looks and astonishingly bright red hair. Of course, Ginger isn't her real name, it's the nickname given to her by almost everyone in the district because of her most prominent feature. Her real name's Haylie.

"Hi Ginger." I greet. I say hi to a few other people and then focus my attention on stage. Our large group of victors has gathered and are talking amiably with one another, until Silver Marrie struts onto the stage and taps the microphone with his perfectly groomed nails.

"Welcome! Welcome to the District Two reaping of the 115th annual Hunger Games!" He exclaims, in the stupid Capitol accent. The crowd cheers, and Silver beams at all of us. He looks so ridiculous. His hair is dyed shockingly bright silver and protrudes at odd angles from his head. His eyes are covered in silver makeup, as are his lips. His suit glimmers and shines in the light that is only just breaking out over the top of the Nut. He rambles on about the honour of the district for a minute and then the tedious war footage, made even longer by the second rebellion, plays. I try not to listen, because I'm trying to clear my mind of everything but volunteering.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls; it's time to select this year's tributes!" He shouts to us, excitedly. I steel myself. He crosses over to the girl's ball. His hand feels around inside the glass ball for a while and then he pulls out a name. I'm hoping it isn't me, because otherwise someone will volunteer for me. And I don't want that. He steps in front of the microphone and takes a deep breath.

"MARISSA ENGLEBERT!" He reads. I watch as a thirteen year old steps out of her penned off area and mounts the stage.

"Now! Calling for volunteers in: 3… 2… 1!" Silver announces and I'm running forwards, screaming out, hoping they'll hear my desperate cries for volunteer. A few others do as well, but they aren't as fast as me and I reach the designated place for volunteering first.

And I've done it.

I'm escorted onto the stage and asked my name.

"Crimson Wreath." I announce, proudly over the speaker. I catch Scarlett's eye in the crowd and smile at her. She doesn't smile back. Flint looks proud of me at least. He grins at me and nods his head. I face forwards, determined and resolute on my goal. I will be victor.

"And now for the boys!" Sliver continues. I don't watch as he pulls out the boy's name. I stare ahead, occasionally giving the cameras a confident look.

"FLINT WREATH!"

What? No!

I watch, dumbfounded as Flint stands next to me on the stage. I can't kill my brother. All my previous convictions about the arena are fading. How can I win if he's there!? But then Silver asks for volunteers, and I'm relieved as a boy I know from my swords class lunges forwards to volunteer. Silver beckons him up to the stage and asks his name.

"Cain Alcott." He announces. Cain. The name clicks. He's the mayor's son. I recognise him from the academy. He's eighteen too and a fantastic fighter. He's also very handsome. Dark hair, deep brown eyes, tall, muscled. His skin is extraordinarily pale though, which strikes me as odd. He looks underfed, and this seems out of the ordinary too because as the mayors son, in District Two, you'd expect him to be bulkier than almost everyone else. I stare at him. He's not going to be easy to defeat. He's larger than me, and from what I can remember he's excellent with a sword. Oh well. Before the alliance is officially over I can kill him in his sleep.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Our tributes from District Two!" Silver exclaims, taking our hands in his and holding them up. I smile triumphantly. I've done it.

The next thing I know is that I'm being led into the justice building. To say my goodbye's.

Possibly even to say sorry.


End file.
